UK-US trade deal: Trump trade adviser claims Britons would like chlorinated chicken after historic agreement

Donald Trump's top trade adviser has suggested British consumers would like US-produced chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef if it were made available in UK supermarkets.

Sir Keir Starmer struck a historic trade agreement with the US on Thursday that will slash Mr Trump’s tariffs, which the prime minister said would “boost British businesses and save thousands of British jobs”.

But the Americans said the deal would also see its imports fast-tracked and “exponentially” increase the amount of US beef coming into the UK.

The president's chief trade adviser, Peter Navarro, told reporters on Thursday that concerns over food hygiene standards were a “phony tool that's used to suppress what is very fine American agricultural product”, adding: “We don’t believe that once they taste American beef and chicken that they would prefer not to have it.”

No 10 has insisted there would be “no weakening of UK food standards on imports” under the agreement.

The deal will see US tariffs on cars immediately slashed from 27.5 to 10 per cent, up to 100,000 vehicles – almost the total number exported last year. Levies on steel and aluminium will be reduced to zero, however, a general 10 per cent tariff for other goods will remain.